Caption: Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of Photocomposite, Enterococcus faecium on the surface of human skin and hair follicle. Human skin (epidermis) with hair emerging from hair follicle. Numerous desquamating cells are concentrically arranged around the base of the hair shaft. Enterococcus faecium (also known as Streptococcus faecium), Gram-positive, vancomycin resistant (VRE), coccus prokaryote that grows in groups or chains. E. faecium is commonly found in the guts of humans and other animals. It does not normally cause disease, but can be an opportunistic pathogen when the immune system is impaired. It is an important nosocomial (hospital-acquired) pathogen. E. faecium is known to have a resistance to several types of antibiotics including gentamicin, tetracycline, erythromycin, teicoplanin and penicillin. Magnification: x800 bacteria; x260 skin when shortest axis printed at 25 millimetres.